kasama.jpg
This photo, posted by kasamaproject.org, is said to depict the aftermath of the raid on a Seattle apartment tied to members of the Occupy movement. (PHOTO: KasamaProject)

Police serve warrant in May Day investigation

BY Brandi Kruse  on July 10, 2012 @ 12:50 pm (Updated: 10:16 pm - 7/10/12 )

A SWAT team descended on an apartment connected to members of the Occupy movement early Tuesday morning, looking for evidence in the continued investigation into May Day protests, the Seattle Police Department said Tuesday.

Just before 6:00 a.m., police served a search warrant at the residence in the 1100 Block of 29th Avenue South. Police described the four occupants as "cooperative."

Unconfirmed accounts of the raid, as released by Occupy Seattle, describe a chaotic scene that involved officers "breaking down the door," "holding drawn tactical rifles, "yelling over a loudspeaker," and using a flash bang grenade.

Occupants of the residence claim police handed them a copy of the search warrant, which they say stated that detectives were specifically looking for "anarchist materials."

According to an article posted by Kasama, a website and self-described "communism project" that has ties to the Occupy movement, police seized "basic stuff," which included a zip-up sweater, one glove, a blue beanie and a pink scarf.

Police posted on the Seattle Police Blotter that the search "resulted in evidence that will be useful in the investigation."

Contacted by 97.3 KIRO FM, an Occupy Seattle spokesperson, who also lives at the residence but was not home during the raid, says those who were involved would speak to their lawyers before making a statement to the media.

A person described in the Kasama article as a neighbor and witness to the incident, Natalio Perez, calls himself a "revolutionary" for the Kasama Project on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Police Department has stated that the investigation into the May Day protests will continue and there may be more search warrants in the future.

Detectives ask that those with information about the protest contact SPD's May Day tip line at (206) 233-2666 or MayDay2012@Seattle.gov.

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (10)


  • Add A Comment

  • SchaiDog wrote...
    Police doing police work
    July 10, 2012 2:38 pm
    It's good to see the police doing actual police work. Instead of being tax collectors for government they are investigating crimes. I would like to see them also spend time following up on those with outstanding warrants. I wouldn't be surprised that some of the shooters in the recent rash of shootings have outstanding warrants for arrest.
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  • Howdy wrote...
    Bust them pinkos
    July 10, 2012 3:04 pm
    that'll keep them from spreading their poison.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rangerhawk wrote...
    Simply Outrageous!
    July 10, 2012 3:13 pm
    No use of mace or clubs? SPD is obviously soft on communism! Truly disgraceful! p.s. Who's the perp with the Obama shirt? (ha,ha, made you look)
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  • myopinion wrote...
    What is sad
    July 10, 2012 3:25 pm
    Is that the cops are actually chasing down some people that will in the end only be charged with vandalisim.
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  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    Will speak to their lawyers?
    July 10, 2012 5:03 pm
    Bunch a 1%'ers right thar.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cash wrote...
    While what did they expect?
    July 10, 2012 5:58 pm
    When a search warrant is served what in the would would they expect; breakfast in bed with all the fixings? Of course they came in tactical gear bearing guns... What a bunch of dopes... I have an idea how to prevent the SWAT team from showing up; get a job and be a productive member of socity and not the jerk vandals that you are.
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  • rubegoldberg wrote...
    Be careful what you wish for
    July 10, 2012 6:39 pm
    In the future, "anarchist materials" could include the constitution
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WashingtonPatriot wrote...
    @rubegoldberg Yep
    July 10, 2012 9:53 pm
    Yep unfortunately some of the idiot above your post don't get it. Since when is having controversial material a crime?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • P_99% wrote...
    Kshama Sawant Campaign Condemns SPD Repression of Occupy Seattle Activists
    July 10, 2012 11:32 pm
    http://votesawant.org/?q=node/12 Around 6:00 A.M. on Tuesday, July 10th, a house where local activists from Occupy Seattle and the Red Spark group live was raided by a Seattle Police Department SWAT team. According to reports, police broke through the front door armed with automatic weaponry and used “flashbang” grenades. The police have said they were searching for “Anarchist materials” and clothing allegedly connected to the Seattle May 1st demonstrations. No arrests were made; only clothing was taken from the apartment. (http://kasamaproject.org/2012/07/10/swat-raid-organizers-of-occupy-seattle-and-e4e/) This raid is clearly an act of political repression of left-wing activists and an attempt to intimidate activists who are fighting against the richest 1% and big business. There is absolutely nothing illegal about possessing anarchist or other radical literature. Socialist Alternative and the Vote Sawant campaign stand in solidarity with those affected by today’s raid, and strongly condemn the actions of the Seattle Police Department. We urge all activists, students, unions, and working people generally, to join the solidarity march today (Tuesday, July 10) at 7pm, beginning at Westlake Park. This is not an isolated incident. This act of state repression continues a long tradition of police brutality and political repression by the SPD and police forces across the country. The Occupy Wall Street movement suffered police violence where demonstrations faced attacks, pepper spray, brutality, mass arrests, and the demolition of protest encampments. Here in Seattlein recent years we have seen an out-of-control police department carrying out an almost unending number of acts of police brutality, including killings, which have gone so far that even the Federal Department of Justice has been forced to investigate and try to reign in the SPD. It is crucial that Occupy, unions, and left-wing activists generally respond to this provocation by mobilizing for public protests to shine a spotlight on the undemocratic actions of the SPD and rally to defend our democratic rights. If the SPD is allowed to get away with this type of undemocratic repression of political activity, it will be used in the future against other movements challenging the political and corporate establishment, including the labor movement and workers’ struggles. While the SPD and Mayor McGinn carried out this raid with the intention of intimidating activists, in reality, it will only serve to expose the true nature of the police in our so-called democracy as tools of the richest 1% who use undemocratic and violent measures to protect the interests of big business and their system of capitalism. Democratic Mayor of Seattle Mike McGinn is ultimately responsible for the activities of the SPD. This political repression highlights the need to break with the Democratic Party and begin building a left-wing, working-class political alternative. To this end, Kshama Sawant, a member of Socialist Alternative and Occupy Seattle activist, is running as an independent candidate for the 99% in the 43rd District of Seattle (position 1). The Sawant campaign and Socialist Alternative call for the creation of an elected civilian review board with full powers over the police. We also demand investment in rehabilitation, job-training, and living-wage jobs, not prisons or detention centers, and abolition of the death penalty (which is still on the books in Washington state) as elementary first steps to begin to fight the police brutality and institutional racism of the criminal justice system. The SPD has stated that this raid was connected to investigating incidents which took place around the May 1 protests in Seattle. It is true that some property destruction was carried out by a few people around the May 1 protest. Socialist Alternative and the Vote Sawant campaign did not support such acts and view them as counter-productive to building mass movements of the working class that can challenge capitalism. However, police repression will in no way stop such acts from occurring and will actually make them more likely. In reality, today’s events highlight how the real criminality and violence in our society stem from the police and the corporate aristocracy that rules this country. We need to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who suffered this raid and build massive movements of working people to defend our democratic rights and fight for our interests. We urge as many people as possible will attend the protest tonight at 7 pm beginning at Westlake park, Tuesday, July 10. www.SocialistAlternative.org www.VoteSawant.org
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  • Howdy wrote...
    P_99%
    July 11, 2012 1:35 pm
    Contrary to what you might think- you do not represent 99% of the population.
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